Lime prices are staying strong at a time of year when supply should be loosening up. Traders say availability is shrinking daily, with very little production coming out of key growing regions. Rudy Uresti at Jade Produce put it plainly: if there were an abundance of limes, prices would be falling — but that's not what's happening.

The squeeze is coming from two directions: weather-related production shortfalls and the lingering effect of U.S. tariffs, which have added cost pressure throughout the supply chain. Historically, this time of year sees more plentiful supply heading into summer grilling season, making the current tightness even more notable for buyers planning promotions.

Expect elevated lime prices to persist through the near term. Buyers sourcing for foodservice or retail programs should lock in volume now if possible — this market doesn't look like it's about to relax anytime soon.

Mexican avocado volume coming into the U.S. is running about 20% short of projections, according to Aaron Acosta of Villita Avocados. That gap is big enough to undermine confidence in running summer promotions, which require reliable supply commitments that growers and shippers can't currently make with confidence.

This is a meaningful reversal from earlier this year, when Mexican avocado exports were hitting record highs and prices were dropping with the volume. The current shortfall is creating uncertainty heading into peak demand season — Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and the broader summer grilling window when avocado sales historically spike.

Retailers and category managers who were banking on aggressive avocado ad programs this summer may need to recalibrate. With supply unpredictable through at least the end of the season, expect pricing pressure and potential gaps in promotional execution.

Supplies of small-count oranges — particularly 113s and 138s — are extremely limited right now, and the shortage spans all major growing regions, not just one area. This isn't a localized gap; it's a broad supply problem that's going to affect buyers across the country heading into summer.

Small oranges are a high-demand size for bagged programs, lunchbox formats, and grab-and-go retail sets. When they're tight across all origins simultaneously, there's no easy substitution play. Retailers running promotions on small citrus are likely to face either out-of-stocks or forced upgrades to larger sizes.

Plan accordingly for Q2 citrus programming. If you have confirmed volume commitments, hold them tight. If you're still in planning mode, expect to pay a premium or pivot to alternative citrus varieties to fill the gap.

Consumer watchdog Mamavation purchased organic and conventional Driscoll's strawberries from a Southern California grocery store and sent them to an independent lab for testing. The resulting report raised questions about pesticide residues, including PFAS — so-called "forever chemicals" — detected in the samples. The story is generating attention outside of trade circles and landing in consumer media.

Driscoll's is the dominant brand in U.S. strawberries, so any food safety scrutiny around their product has outsized implications for the category. PFAS contamination in produce has been a growing area of concern for regulators and advocacy groups, even though federal standards for PFAS in food are still evolving. This kind of third-party testing report — even without official regulatory action — can shift consumer perception quickly.

Buyers and category managers should monitor this story closely for any regulatory follow-up or consumer backlash. If it gains mainstream traction, expect questions from retail partners about sourcing and testing protocols across your strawberry supply.

Target added 3,000 new food and beverage items in Q1 2026, with its merchandising chief telling investors the goal is to turn grocery into a reason shoppers choose Target over other options. The move comes on the heels of its strongest quarter in over a year, with plans to accelerate food and beverage newness by 50% in Q2. That's an aggressive ramp by any standard.

Target has historically been an underperformer in fresh grocery compared to Walmart and Kroger, but this level of investment signals a real strategic shift. More SKUs means more shelf competition, more supplier opportunities, and more pressure on existing category incumbents to defend space. Fresh and produce adjacencies — dips, guac, snackable items — could be prime targets for expansion.

For produce suppliers and fresh food brands, Target's grocery push is one of the bigger channel development stories of 2026. If you're not already in conversations with their buyers, now is the time.

Texas Albertsons locations have agreed to stop using pesticides in their misting systems for organic produce, following action by the state's attorney general. The AG characterized the resolution as a significant win for consumers who pay a premium expecting organic produce to be free of synthetic pesticide exposure in-store — not just on-farm.

This is a notable in-store food safety and labeling integrity issue. Misting systems are standard in produce departments to maintain freshness, but applying pesticide-containing water to certified organic items after the point of sale undermines the organic supply chain's integrity. It also raises questions about how widespread the practice might be beyond Texas.

For produce suppliers and organic program managers, this is worth watching as a potential compliance and reputational flashpoint. Retailers may start reviewing their own misting system protocols, and buyers should be aware this could prompt broader regulatory scrutiny of in-store organic handling practices.

The USDA has proposed closing the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, one of the agency's most significant and long-standing agricultural research facilities. Western Growers and other industry groups are raising concerns about what the closure would mean for fresh produce research, including work on post-harvest handling, food safety, and new variety development.

BARC has been a critical resource for applied produce research that often doesn't get funded through private channels. Losing it would create a gap in publicly available science that could take years to replace, particularly for smaller growers and commodity groups that rely on federal research to stay competitive and compliant.

This is an early-stage proposal, but industry groups are already mobilizing to push back. It fits into a broader pattern of federal research budget pressure that the produce sector should be watching closely — especially given ongoing food safety regulatory demands that require robust science to support compliance.